Bucket elevator adjustable guide system

ABSTRACT

A bucket elevator adjustable guide system for efficiently dispensing grain from a bucket elevator with reduced grain dispersion. The bucket elevator adjustable guide system generally includes a head housing for a bucket elevator and a guide member attached to a lower portion of the head housing. The guide member is distally spaced from the head housing forming a lower vent and an upper vent between the exterior surface of the guide member and the head housing for air to pass through thereby preventing the accumulation of particulate material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 120of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/642,197 filed Mar. 9, 2015. Thisapplication is a continuation of the Ser. No. 14/642,197 application.The Ser. No. 14/642,197 application will issue on Nov. 10, 2015 as U.S.Pat. No. 9,181,038. The Ser. No. 14/642,197 application is herebyincorporated by reference into this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a bucket elevator and morespecifically it relates to a bucket elevator adjustable guide system forefficiently dispensing grain from a bucket elevator with reduced graindispersion.

2. Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Bucket elevators (a.k.a. bucket conveyors) are commonly utilized toelevate particulate material (e.g. grain). Conventional bucket elevatorsare comprised of a plurality of buckets attached to an elongatedflexible structure (e.g. belt or chain) that passes over an upperpulley. At the lower portion of the elongated flexible structure on thedownward extending run, the buckets collect the particulate material inthe boot portion of the bucket elevator and then pass around the lowerpulley of the bucket elevator and then continue to move upwardly alongthe upward run of the elongated flexible structure. A motor drives thelower pulley and therefore drives the elongated flexible structure withthe buckets. At the upper pulley of the bucket elevator, the bucketsdispense the particulate material which then exits through a dischargechute. Vertically orientated bucket elevators often times requirecentrifugal force to get the particulate material out of the buckets andinto the discharge chute and often times referred to as “centrifugaldischarge elevators”. One of the problems with conventional bucketelevators is that the particulate material is released outwardly becauseof centrifugal force thereby engaging the ceiling resulting indispersion of the particulate material thereby creating turbulence inthe grain flow that can reduce the flow rate of the grain.

Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a needfor a new and improved bucket elevator adjustable guide system forefficiently dispensing grain from a bucket elevator with reduced graindispersion.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a bucket elevator which includes ahead housing for a bucket elevator and a guide member attached to alower portion of the head housing. The guide member is distally spacedfrom the head housing forming a lower vent and an upper vent between theexterior surface of the guide member and the head housing for air topass through thereby preventing the accumulation of particulatematerial.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe invention in order that the detailed description thereof may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and that will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, beforeexplaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of thedescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 4illustrating the adjustable guide being moved at a downward angle.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 4illustrating the adjustable guide being moved at an upward angle.

FIG. 10 is a side cutaway view of the present invention utilized withina bucket elevator showing the particulate material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A. Overview.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1through 10 illustrate a bucket elevator adjustable guide system 10,which comprises a head housing 20 for a bucket elevator 12 and a guidemember 30 attached to a lower portion of the head housing 20. The guidemember 30 is distally spaced from the head housing 20 forming a lowervent 40 and an upper vent 42 between the exterior surface 32 of theguide member 30 and the head housing 20 for air to pass through therebypreventing the accumulation of particulate material 11. The terms bucketelevator 12 and bucket conveyor 12 are utilized interchangeably herein.

B. Bucket Elevator.

The bucket elevator 12 may be comprised of any conventional bucketelevator 12 or bucket conveyor 12 adapted for moving volumes ofparticulate material 11. The present invention is preferably utilizedwith a centrifugal discharge elevator, but may also be utilized withvarious other types of bucket elevators 12. The present invention isfurther preferably utilized with a bucket elevator 12 designed for usein moving grain as the particulate material 11, but may also be utilizedwith various other types of bucket elevators 12 that move non-grainparticulate material 11. U.S. Pat. No. 1,944,932 to Gemeny illustratesan exemplary elevator bucket and is incorporated by reference herein.

A conventional bucket conveyor 12 is typically comprised of a boot atthe lower end for receiving the particulate material 11 and a headhousing 20 (sometimes referred to as a “hood”) with a discharge opening22 for discharging the particulate material 11. The conventional bucketconveyor 12 further includes an upper pulley 14 at the upper end withinthe head housing 20 and a lower pulley at the lower end within the boot.The elongated flexible structure 16 (e.g. belt, chain) extends over theupper pulley 14 and the lower pulley. Either the upper pulley 14 or thelower pulley is driven by a motor to move the elongated flexiblestructure 16 thereby forming an upward moving run and a downward movingrun. FIG. 10 of the drawings shows an upward moving run and a downwardmoving run of the elongated flexible structure 16. A plurality ofbuckets 18 are attached to the elongated flexible member and extendoutwardly as further shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. As each of thebuckets 18 gets to the top of the upward moving run, the particulatematerial 11 within the bucket is discharged from the bucket due tocentrifugal force as further shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. Theelongated flexible member and the buckets 18 move upwardly anddownwardly within one or more enclosed tubular legs of the bucketconveyor 12.

C. Head Housing of Bucket Elevator.

FIGS. 1 through 10 illustrate an exemplary head housing 20 for a bucketelevator 12. It can be appreciated that the head housing 20 may havedifferent shapes, structures and configurations. As shown in FIGS. 1through 10 of the drawings, the head housing 20 has a back wall with afirst sidewall 25 and a second sidewall 26 attached on opposing sides ofthe back wall.

The back wall may be comprised of a single unitary structure such as aflat sheet of metal or multiple sheets of metal connected together.FIGS. 8 through 10 best illustrate the back wall being comprised of arear wall 27 extending upwardly in a vertical manner and a ceiling 23extending forwardly from the upper end of the rear wall 27 in agenerally horizontal manner. The back wall may be comprised of a curvedconfiguration or an angled configuration.

The first sidewall 25, the second sidewall 26 and the rear wall 27 forma lower opening 24 that is connected to the upper end of the leg of thebucket conveyor 12. The first sidewall 25, the second sidewall 26 andthe ceiling 23 form the discharge opening 22 that the particulatematerial 11 is discharged through. A discharge chute 19 is connected tothe head housing 20 about the discharge opening 22 to receive thedischarged particulate material 11 to transfer to a different locationsuch as another conveyor or a storage location. The head housing 20 alsoincludes a front wall 21 that is positioned opposite of the rear wall 27and is below the discharge opening 22.

D. Guide Member.

The guide member 30 is utilized to guide the particulate material 11which requires an operator to adjust for various types of conditionsincluding, but not limited to, the type of particulate material 11, theflow rate of particulate material 11, temperature and possibly humidity.The guide member 30 is attached to the interior of the head housing 20and is positioned within the interior of the head housing 20 asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 8 through 10 of the drawings.

The guide member 30 is preferably connected to the head housing 20 in anadjustable and movable manner to allow for adjustment to variousparticulate material 11 conditions. However, the guide member 30 may benon-movably connected to the head housing 20 in a non-adjustable mannerwhere the guide member 30 is set in a desired position at the factory orthe by end user.

The guide member 30 is preferably attached to the back wall (the rearwall 27 or the ceiling 23) of the head housing 20, but may be attachedto the sidewalls 25, 26. In the preferred embodiment, the guide member30 is attached to the rear wall 27 as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 8through 10 of the drawings.

The guide member 30 has an interior surface 34 that the particulatematerial 11 engages and an exterior surface 32 opposite of the interiorsurface 34 as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10 of the drawings.The guide member 30 also has a lower end portion 36 and an upper endportion 38 opposite of the lower end portion 36.

The lower end portion 36 of the guide member 30 is attached to the lowerportion of the head housing 20 (e.g. to the lower portion of the rearwall 27 or the sidewalls 25, 26). The lower end portion 36 of the guidemember 30 is preferably vertically orientated and the upper end portion38 is preferably horizontally orientated. It can be appreciated that theshape of the guide member 30 along with the length and application willdetermine the exact orientation of the different portions of the guidemember 30.

The lower end portion 36 is distally spaced from the head housing 20forming a lower vent 40 between the exterior surface 32 of the guidemember 30 and the head housing 20. The upper end portion 38 is distallyspaced from the head housing 20 forming an upper vent 42 between theexterior surface 32 of the guide member 30 and the head housing 20. Thelower vent 40 and the upper vent 42 are fluidly connected to one anotherto allow for air to pass through. The lower vent 40 receives air movingupwardly with the upward moving run of the bucket elevator 12 asillustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings. The air moves from the lowervent 40 to between the guide member 30 and the head housing 20 and thenout through the upper vent 42 as further shown in FIG. 10 of thedrawings.

The guide member 30 is comprised of a plate such as, but not limited to,a flat piece of material (e.g. sheet metal). The guide member 30 ispreferably curved as illustrated in FIG. 8 through 10 of the drawings.The radius of curvature for the guide member 30 may be constant orvarying. The upper end portion 38 of the guide member 30 preferablyextends over the top end of the bucket conveyor 12 and partially throughthe discharge opening 22 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 8 through 10 of the drawings, at least onefastener 50 extends from rear wall 27 of the head housing 20 to thelower end portion 36 of the guide member 30. It is preferable to utilizeat least two fasteners 50 positioned near opposing sides of the guidemember 30 as best illustrated in FIG. 2. The fasteners 50 are preferablycomprised of a threaded shaft (e.g. a threaded bolt with a threaded nutattached to the bolt), but a non-threaded shaft may also be utilized(e.g. a welded shaft connecting the lower end portion 36 of the guidemember 30 to the rear wall 27 of the head housing 20). A spacer 52 ispositioned upon the fasteners 50, preferably positioned between the headhousing 20 and the guide member 30, to maintain the desired spacing thatforms the lower vent 40. The spacer 52 may be removed and replaced withdifferent sizes of spacers 52 depending upon the size of the lower vent40 desired for the head housing 20.

E. Adjustment Member.

The head housing 20 is preferably attached to both the rear wall 27 andthe ceiling 23 of the head housing 20 to provide sufficient support andlimited moving during operation of the bucket conveyor 12. An adjustmentmember 70 is connected to the head housing 20 and the guide member 30 asillustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10 of the drawings. The adjustment member70 adjusts a position of the guide member 30 with respect to the headhousing 20 depending upon the desired flow rate of the particulatematerial 11 and other factors. The adjustment member 70 allows the userto manually (or possibly automatically) reposition the guide member 30so that an upper portion of the guide member 30 is either closer to orfurther away from the buckets 18 at the top of the bucket conveyor 12 asillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings. The adjustment of theposition of the guide member 30 also adjusts the size of the upper vent42.

The adjustment member 70 is preferably pivotally attached to the guidemember 30 by a hinge 60 to prevent binding when adjusting the positionof the guide member 30. The hinge 60 is comprised of a first member 62that extends upwardly and rearwardly from an exterior surface 32 of theguide member 30. The first member 62 is further pivotally connected tothe guide member 30 via a pin or other pivoting structure. A secondmember 64 extends at an angle from the first member 62 and preferablyextends upwardly and forwardly from the upper end of the first member 62as shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 of the drawings.

The adjustment member 70 is connected to the second member 64 as shownin FIGS. 1 and 8 through 10 of the drawings. The adjustment member 70rotatably extends through an aperture within the second member 64thereby allowing for rotation of the adjustment member 70 by a user. Apair of lower retaining members 72 positioned on opposing sides of thesecond member 64 retain the adjustment member 70 upon the second member64 while allowing for rotation of the adjustment member 70. Theadjustment member 70 further preferably extends outside of the headhousing 20 for manual engagement by the operator as further illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 8 through 10 of the drawings.

The adjustment member 70 is preferably comprised of a threaded shaftthat is threadably connected to the head housing 20. The head housing 20may be constructed to have a threaded opening that the adjustmentthreadably passes through, or an interiorly threaded member 76 (e.g. athreaded nut welded to the head housing 20) may be attached to the headhousing 20 that the adjustment member 70 threadably passes through asshown in FIGS. 1 and 8 through 10 of the drawings. The adjustment member70 further includes an engaging head 74 which may be hexagonal orotherwise shaped to be engaged by a tool such as a socket or wrench.Hence, when the adjustment member 70 is rotated in a first direction(e.g. clockwise), the adjustment member 70 extends into the interior ofthe head housing 20 thereby forcing the guide member 30 downwardly andinwardly at an angle also as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. Inaddition, when the adjustment member 70 is rotated in a second direction(e.g. counterclockwise) opposite of the first direction, the adjustmentmember 70 extends away from the interior of the head housing 20 therebypulling the guide member 30 upwardly and outwardly at an angle also asshown in FIG. 9 of the drawings. As the guide member 30 is moved by theadjustment member 70, the hinge 60 pivots to prevent binding of theadjustment member 70 with respect to the guide member 30. It should benoted that the movement of the guide member 30 at the upper end portion38 is neither solely horizontal nor vertical since the lower end portion36 is attached to the head housing 20 resulting in a broad arc ofmovement having a large radius.

The adjustment member 70 extends downwardly through the ceiling 23 ofthe head housing 20 at an angle extending away from the rear wall 27 andalso extending towards the discharge opening 22 of the head housing 20as shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 of the drawings. The angle of theadjustment member 70 is preferably approximately aligned with the arc ofmovement as best illustrated in FIG. 8 through 10 of the drawings. Theceiling 23 of the head housing 20 further preferably includes anextended portion 28 that extends upwardly having a forward facing walland a rear facing wall, wherein the adjustment member 70 extends throughthe rear facing wall substantially transverse to the rear facing wall asshown in FIGS. 8 through 10 of the drawings.

F. Operation of Preferred Embodiment.

In use, the head housing 20 is attached to the bucket conveyor 12 andthe discharge chute 19 is attached to the head housing 20 as shown inFIG. 10. The operator then runs the bucket conveyor 12 with theparticulate material 11 monitoring the discharge characteristics of theparticulate material 11 and the flow rate of the particulate material11. The operator adjusts the adjustment member 70 to correspondinglyadjust the position of the guide member 30 within the head housing 20.After each adjustment, the operator monitors the dischargecharacteristics and the flow rate of the particulate material 11. Theoperator continues to adjust the position of the guide member 30 until adesired discharge characteristic and maximum flow rate is achieved forthe particulate material 11. In operation, the buckets 18 move upwardlyalong the upward moving run of the elongated flexible structure 16thereby creating an upward air movement within the leg of the bucketelevator 12. The upward moving air in the leg of the bucket elevator 12passes through the lower vent 40 around the guide member 30 along theexterior surface 32 and then through the upper vent 42. The air movingthrough the lower vent 40 and the upper vent 42 allows for decreaseddispersion of the particulate material 11 at the location of dischargeby providing a natural air flow around the particulate material 11. Theair moving through the lower vent 40 and the upper vent 42 also preventsthe accumulation of particulate material 11, dust and other material.Over time, the operator may come back and do additional adjustments tothe guide member 30 based upon various factors.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods andmaterials are described above. All publications, patent applications,patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law andregulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof,and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilizedwithin the description are for convenience only and have no legal orlimiting effect.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A head housing system for a bucketelevator, comprising: a head housing for a bucket elevator, wherein thehead housing includes a back wall; a guide member having an interiorsurface, an exterior surface opposite of the interior surface, a lowerend portion and an upper end portion; and an adjustment member connectedto the head housing and the guide member, wherein the adjustment memberadjusts a position of the guide member with respect to the head housing;wherein the lower end portion is attached to a lower portion of the backwall of the head housing; wherein the lower end portion is distallyspaced from the head housing forming a lower vent between the exteriorsurface of the guide member and the head housing.
 2. The head housingsystem of claim 1, wherein the back wall of the head housing iscomprised of a rear wall and a ceiling, wherein the guide member isattached to the rear wall.
 3. The head housing system of claim 2,wherein the guide member is attached to the ceiling of the head housing.4. The head housing system of claim 2, wherein the rear wall isvertically orientated and wherein the ceiling is horizontallyorientated.
 5. The head housing system of claim 1, wherein the guidemember is curved.
 6. The head housing system of claim 5, wherein thelower end portion is vertically orientated and wherein the upper endportion is horizontally orientated.
 7. The head housing system of claim5, wherein the guide member is comprised of a plate.
 8. The head housingsystem of claim 7, wherein the guide member is comprised of a flat pieceof metal.
 9. The head housing system of claim 5, wherein the lower endportion of the guide member is below an upper end of a bucket conveyorof the bucket elevator.
 10. The head housing system of claim 9, whereinthe upper end portion of the guide member is above the upper end of thebucket conveyor.
 11. The head housing system of claim 1, wherein theupper end portion is distally spaced from the head housing forming anupper vent between the exterior surface of the guide member and the headhousing, wherein the lower vent and the upper vent are fluidlyconnected.
 12. The head housing system of claim 1, wherein theadjustment member is pivotally attached to the guide member by a hinge.13. The head housing system of claim 12, wherein the hinge is comprisedof a first member pivotally connected to the guide member and a secondmember extending at an angle from the first member, wherein theadjustment member is connected to the second member.
 14. The headhousing system of claim 13, wherein the adjustment member rotatablyextends through the second member.
 15. The head housing system of claim1, wherein the adjustment member is comprised of a threaded shaft thatis threadably connected to the head housing.
 16. The head housing systemof claim 1, wherein the adjustment member extends downwardly at an angleaway from a rear wall of the head housing and towards a dischargeopening of the head housing.
 17. A head housing system for a bucketelevator, comprising: a head housing for a bucket elevator, wherein thehead housing includes a back wall; a guide member having an interiorsurface, an exterior surface opposite of the interior surface, a lowerend portion and an upper end portion; wherein the lower end portion isattached to a lower portion of the back wall of the head housing;wherein the lower end portion is distally spaced from the head housingforming a lower vent between the exterior surface of the guide memberand the head housing wherein the guide member is curved; wherein thelower end portion of the guide member is below an upper end of a bucketconveyor of the bucket elevator; wherein the upper end portion of theguide member is above the upper end of the bucket conveyor; and anadjustment member connected to the head housing and the guide member,wherein the adjustment member adjusts a position of the guide memberwith respect to the head housing.
 18. The head housing system of claim17, wherein the lower end portion is vertically orientated and whereinthe upper end portion is horizontally orientated.
 19. The head housingsystem of claim 17, wherein the upper end portion is distally spacedfrom the head housing forming an upper vent between the exterior surfaceof the guide member and the head housing, wherein the lower vent and theupper vent are fluidly connected.
 20. A head housing for a bucketelevator, comprising: a head housing for a bucket elevator, wherein thehead housing includes a back wall; and a guide member having an interiorsurface, an exterior surface opposite of the interior surface, a lowerend portion and an upper end portion; wherein the lower end portion isattached to a lower portion of the back wall of the head housing;wherein the lower end portion is distally spaced from the head housingforming a lower vent between the exterior surface of the guide memberand the head housing; wherein the back wall of the head housing iscomprised of a rear wall and a ceiling, wherein the guide member isattached to the rear wall and wherein the guide member is attached tothe ceiling of the head housing.
 21. The head housing of claim 20,wherein the rear wall is vertically orientated and wherein the ceilingis horizontally orientated.
 22. The head housing of claim 20, whereinthe guide member is curved.
 23. The head housing of claim 22, whereinthe lower end portion is vertically orientated and wherein the upper endportion is horizontally orientated.
 24. The head housing of claim 20,wherein the upper end portion is distally spaced from the head housingforming an upper vent between the exterior surface of the guide memberand the head housing, wherein the lower vent and the upper vent arefluidly connected.
 25. The head housing of claim 20, including anadjustment member connected to the head housing and the guide member,wherein the adjustment member adjusts a position of the guide memberwith respect to the head housing.
 26. The head housing claim 25, whereinthe adjustment member is pivotally attached to the guide member by ahinge.
 27. The head housing claim 25, wherein the adjustment member iscomprised of a threaded shaft that is threadably connected to the headhousing.
 28. The head housing claim 25, wherein the adjustment memberextends downwardly at an angle away from a rear wall of the head housingand towards a discharge opening of the head housing.
 29. A head housingfor a bucket elevator, comprising: a head housing for a bucket elevator,wherein the head housing includes a back wall; and a guide member havingan interior surface, an exterior surface opposite of the interiorsurface, a lower end portion and an upper end portion; wherein the lowerend portion is attached to a lower portion of the back wall of the headhousing; wherein the lower end portion is distally spaced from the headhousing forming a lower vent between the exterior surface of the guidemember and the head housing; wherein the guide member is curved; whereinthe lower end portion is vertically orientated and wherein the upper endportion is horizontally orientated.
 30. The head housing of claim 29,wherein the back wall of the head housing is comprised of a rear walland a ceiling, wherein the guide member is attached to the rear wall.31. The head housing of claim 29, wherein the upper end portion isdistally spaced from the head housing forming an upper vent between theexterior surface of the guide member and the head housing, wherein thelower vent and the upper vent are fluidly connected.
 32. The headhousing of claim 29, including an adjustment member connected to thehead housing and the guide member, wherein the adjustment member adjustsa position of the guide member with respect to the head housing.
 33. Thehead housing claim 32, wherein the adjustment member is pivotallyattached to the guide member by a hinge.